Coaching Dossier: Craig Tyzzer embraces growth by letting go

WTA Insider: How did you first come to pick up a racquet?
Tyzzer: There was a local tennis club that was built right out the back of my childhood home and our entire family became involved in the club. I think I was an 8-year-old at the time.

WTA Insider: What do you love about the sport?
Tyzzer: There are numerous reasons why I love tennis, but the main one is really the one-on-one competition. I love the aspect of one person competing against another and the theatre that that brings.

It's skill-based, it’s a physical battle, it’s a mental battle. All these areas add up to what is an amazing sport.

WTA Insider: What was your pathway into becoming a tennis coach?
Tyzzer: I started as a player and at a relatively early stage in my playing days I had a shoulder injury that had me out of the game for 12 months.

At the time I was being coached by Tony Roche and he asked me to help him with the Custom Credit squad of players that he was coaching at the time and I think learning under someone like him was the start of my interest in coaching.

WTA Insider: Do you have a coaching philosophy? If so what is it?
Tyzzer: To get players to be the best version of themselves, through experience, through growth, and through enjoyment.

WTA Insider: Has your coaching philosophy changed over the course of your career?
Tyzzer: Yes, it’s definitely changed. In the past, I was caught up in results and performance and was very often over critical of my players and myself. I was looking for perfection instead of looking for growth.

My greatest growth has been understanding what my roles is and I have probably become more relaxed with what I can and can’t do.

WTA Insider: What is a “good day” for you as a coach?
Tyzzer: I enjoy the planning and lead up to matches. I love the challenges that put your player up against another player of similar standard. I enjoy the process of planning and dissecting how my player should go about playing the match.

WTA Insider: What is the most important thing you’ve learned in your career as a coach?
Tyzzer: That you should never become complacent or feel comfortable in his sport. You should always keep challenging yourself and continue to learn.

WTA Insider: What do you enjoy about being a coach on the WTA Tour?
Tyzzer: For me, it is about people. There is definitely a growing camaraderie amongst both the players and the coaches and I feel the WTA at the moment is in a strong place with so many talented players and such a diverse group of players who are all pushing each other to get better.